Lap-folding device for wet machines



Feb. 17, 1931.

J. K. VANATTA LAP FOLDING DEVICE FOR WET MACHINES Filed April 9, 19 30 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jewz K %22a//a 1931- J. K. VANATTA 92,558

' LAP FOLDING DEVICE FOR WET MACHINES Filed April 9, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ii I Patented Feb. 17, 1931 .UETED STATES PTENT OFFICE JEAN K. VANATTA, 01 PORT EDWARDS, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO NEKOOSA-EDWARDS PAPER COMPANY, OF PORT EDWARDS, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN LAP-FOLDING- DEVICE FOR WET MACHINES Application filed April 9,

This invention relates to a wet machine and more particularly to such a machine having means combined therewith for effecting the automatic folding of moist webs of pulp into laps.

It is the usual practice in sulphite pulp mills to employ a series of wet machines to form the pulp or a part thereof into laps either for sale as such or to efficiently handle excess stock at any time. These laps comprise a web of pulp from which much of the water has been expressed, folded into several layers. a

The machines of general design for this purpose comprise a couch roll for applying a layer of pulp to a traveling felt, guide rolls for the felt and adjustable press rolls between which the felt and web of pulp pass for expressing water from the web. The

felt in passing between the press rolls is detached from the web which winds up on the upper of the press rolls. When a sufficient thickness of web has coiled on the press roll, the coil is slit longitudinally, removed from the roll and folded in several directions on itself to form a lap.

In this type of machine, difiiculty is experienced in properly adjusting the pressure between the press rolls and in addition the pressure regulating devices are often'impaired when too large a roll of web is allowed to build up on a press roll. Furthermore, there is considerable heavy manual labor involved in the formation of the laps, thus further decreasing the efiiciency'of the, machine.

I have now constructed a wet machine wherein the pulp web is automatically folded into laps directly after separation from the carrying felt without being wound on one of the press rolls, thereby overcoming the objectionable features inherent in the use of the known machines.

It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide a wet machine with 'a device for automatically folding a web of pulp into laps directly upon separation of the web from the felt.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a wet machine having means for 1930. Serial No. 442,741.

folding a web of pulp into laps, the web being fed directly to said means without first being wound upon a press roll.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an efficient and economical process for forming laps of pulp.

Other and further important objects of this invention will become apparent from the following description and appended claims.

Referring to the drawings which disclose a preferred embodiment of my invention:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a wet machine showing my improved lap folding device in conjunction therewith;

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the device of Figure 1 looking from the right hand side of said figure and with parts broken away;

Figure 3 is a vertical section through the pivoted apron; and

Figure 4; is a section on the line IV-IV of Figure 3 looking in the direction of the arrows.

On the drawings:

For the sake of clearness that part of the wet machine up to the press rolls, since it is the same as in the wet machines now in general use, has been omitted from the drawings andthe disclosure limited to the automatic lap folding device and those elements of the wet machine cooperating therewith. This part of the wet machine indicated generally y the reference numeral 1 comprises a continuous felt 2 which passes from the couch roll (not shown) of the. wet machine proper between the press rolls 3 and 4, over the upper and lower felt guide rolls 5 and 6 and thence back to the couch roll of the machine. The press rolls 3 and 4 are arranged one above the other and pressure adjusted as in the usual practice. The upper roll 3 is power driven by a gear or similar conventional means (not disclosed). The lower felt guide roll 5 is mounted in the support 7 and is out of vertical alignment with the upper roll 6 which is journaled in bearings 8 supported from the frame work 9. By arranging the felt guide rolls 5 and 6 out of alignment the pathway of the traveling web defined by said rolls assumes such an angle to the vertical that the web of pulp 10 on said felt 2 detaches itself by gravity therefrom as the felt moves over the upper guide roll 6.

The upper end of the frame 9 adjacent the felt guide roll has a pair of bearings 11 for a pintle or hinge rod 12 which is extended at one end 13beyond said framework for a purpose to be later explained. Said pintle 12 supports an apron 14 through the agency of apair ofstraps 15 fitting over said pintle and bolted tosaid apron at 150:.

The apron 14 is composed of a pair of heavy side stiles 16 of wood or the like joined at their ends, both front and back, by wooden cross pieces 16a. The endsof said stiles are recessed or mortised so that the cross pieces lie flush with the face of said stiles. One face of the apron is closed by'means of a backing 17 made up of a plurality of copper plates 18 laid side by side and welded or otherwisejoinedtogether. The sides ofeach plate except the outer side 19 of the outer plates 18a have inturned flanges 20 extending alongtheplates from an upper to alower crosspiece but stopping at said crosspieces.

The upper ends 21 of the plates are inturned at 22 and imbeddedin thetop crosspiece 23 at theback of the apron, (see Figure 3). The outer sides 19 of theouter plates 18a-are received in notches 24 in the sides of the end stiles 16. In assembling the apron the backing of copper plates is first positioned in the side stile 15 and'then the cross pieces secured to the stiles. By forming the backing of a I plurality of plates, wear of asingle plate only necessitates the replacement of that plate, whereas ifthe backing were composedof a single plate the entire-plate would necessarily have to be renewed.

The apron 14 is caused -to oscillate back and forth to fold the pulp web 10'into laps through the following arrangement. A small crank 25 is rigidly secured tothe shaft 26 of roll 3 so as to turn with the roll without atfecting'the operation of the same. A larger crank27 is rigidly-secured at 28 to the extended end 13 of the pintle 12 and the free ends '29 and 30 of cranks 26'and 27 are joined by a connecting rod 31.

Atable 32 located below the discharge end of apron 14 receives the pulp web from said apron as it is caused to fold into a lap 33 thereon.

The operation of my device is as follows:

'The continuous web 2 as it comes from the couch roll in the wet machine proper carries on its surface a web 10 of pulp stock from which the water will be in a large part expressed as the felt andweb pass between the press rolls 3 and 4. As the felt and web move over the upper felt guide roll 6 the web, due to the inclination of the path of the felt from guide roll 6 to guide roll 5 will gravitate away from the felt as shown in Figure 1 of the drawings. As the free end of the web detable'3-2 as clearly shown.

14 through the medium of the cranks 25 and l 27 and connecting arm 31 causing the apron to oscillate back and forth with the result that the web will be folded into a lap on the The cross pieces 16a at the frontofthe apron maintain the web in the apron as it swings to the left (Figure 2) while the backing 17 prevents the web from falling from the apron as its movelTlGIll) is reversed.

When a laprof-suitable thickness has been saving device for use in conjunction with wet machines which greatly overcomes the-objectionable'features arisingfromthe use of present=type machines.

It is, of course,to 'bezunderstood that various changes maybe made in the details'of my apparatus and therefore I do not intend to-be limited inthe patent granted except as necessitated by 'the prior art.

I claim as follows:

1. In a wet machine having a traveling felt for carrying a web of pulp, press rolls and felt guiding r-olls,.a lap folding device for said web comprising a pivoted board, and means connecting said board with one of said pressrolls to oscillate the'same.

2. In a wet machine having a'traveling felt for carrying a web of pulp, press rolls and felt guiding rolls,'a lap folding device for said web'comprising a board pivoted adjacent one of said. guide rollsto receivean end of said pivoted at one endto hang Vertically and having said pivoted end so located as to receive an end of said pulp web as it moves over said upper guide roll and means connecting said pivoted apron with one of said press rolls-to oscillate the same.

4. In a wet machine, atraveling felt .for carrying a web of pulp, a pair of coaeting press rolls, and upper and lower felt guide rolls disposed out of alignment with each other whereby the path of the felt defined by said rolls is so inclinedas to cause the web of pulp to detach itself from said felt as the felt moves oversaidupper roll, means adjacent said upper roll for receiving said web of pulp as it falls from the felt and descends to a lower plane and means for oscillating said first means during the descent of said web to fold the web in laps.

5. In a wet machine, a traveling felt for carrying a web of pulp, a pair of press rolls between which the felt and web pass, a table adjacent the plane of said press rolls for receiving the pulp, an upper and lower felt guide roll disposed out of vertical alignment whereby the path of the felt defined by said rolls is so inclined as to cause the web of pulp to detach itself from the felt as the felt moves over said upper roll, a pivoted apron adjacent said upper roll for receiving the end of said pulp web as it falls from said felt and guiding said web in its descent to said table and means for oscillating said apron during the descent ofbsaid web to fold said web in laps on said ta le.

6. In a wet machine, a traveling felt for carrying a web of pulp, a pair of coacting 2'- as to define a pathway for the felt of such inclination that the web of pulp falls by gravity from said felt as the felt moves away from said upper roll, a pivoted apron adjacent the upper guide roll for receiving the end of said (2 web of pulp as it falls from said felt, and

guiding said web to said table, a crank connected to said apron, a second crank on one of said press rolls and means interconnecting said cranks whereby to oscillate said apron during the descent of said web of pulp to fold the same in laps on said table.

7 In a wet machine, a traveling felt carrying a web of pulp, a pair of coacting press rolls between which the felt and web move, a table for said web adjacent the plane of said press rolls, upper and lower felt guide rolls disposed out of vertical alignment whereby the path of the felt defined by said rolls is at such an inclination as to cause the web to detach itself by gravity from said felt, a pivtraveling felt, moving said web and felt through a vertical pathway, causing the web to detach from said felt at an elevated point in said pathway, guiding the web of pulp in its descent to a lower plane and imparting lateral motion to said web in its descent to cause it to fold into laps on said lower plane.

9. The process of forming laps of pulp which comprises forming a web of pulp on a County, Wisconsin.

J. K. VANATTA. 

